The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) has taken serious note of a recent media report regarding the online supply of medicines used for weight management.
GPhC chief pharmacy officer Roz Gittins said, “We are very concerned to hear the report from ITV News that people with eating disorders have been able to obtain weight management medicines from online pharmacies."
He said the GPhC has approached the news channel to share its findings with them to take necessary action to ensure patient safety.
“Earlier this year, we updated our guidance to make clear that when supplying medicines used for weight management, the prescriber is expected to independently check the information provided by the person, including their weight, height and/or body mass index.
“We routinely inspect hundreds of pharmacies each month and have contact with many more in response to concerns that we receive. We take a risk-based approach to inspection, so we prioritise those that we have more concerns about.
"Through our inspections, we are seeing that the majority of pharmacies are working hard to follow our updated guidance and work in line with our standards. When we find a pharmacy is not meeting our expectations, we take appropriate action."
He said the GPhC would consider taking Fitness to Practise action if pharmacists and pharmacy technicians are not meeting their standards.
"We continue to work closely with the other regulators that are also involved in regulating online prescribing services. Where appropriate, we share intelligence about concerns so that prompt action can be taken to protect patients and the general public," he added.
